Sweet Garnet
by Stormyskies89
Summary: Companion piece to If I Lost You, but can stand alone. Karla had always been her father and brother's one and only. And so she was their 'Sweet Garnet'.


**Title:** Sweet Garnet

**Summary:** Companion piece to If I Lost You, but can stand alone. Karla had always been her father and brother's one and only. And so she was their 'Sweet Garnet'.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own The Hobbit – only the DVD.

**A/N:** NO FLAMES! Not accepted.

* * *

"Karla! Come on! Father's waiting!" Thorin said impatiently as he waited for his sister to come out of her room in her dress and boots.

"I can't tie my boots properly." She whined through the door Thorin opened the door and knelt down to tie them for her.

"You need to learn to do this yourself. I can't do this for you when I'm King!" He said, he pulled her too her feet and then led her down to the main hall where Thrain stood waiting.

"There are my two gems!" He said he gathered Karla up in his arms and she wrapped her arms around his neck, Thorin gave his father a rare and genuine smile. Thorin tried to be firm and stoic like his Grandfather, because to the 9 year old that was how a King was supposed to be. Both children were still toddlers but Thorin was about the height of a 5 year old child and Karla was barely bigger than a 3 year old. She held tight to her father and he spun her around with a laugh, she giggled in response.

"Father? Will you take us into the mines today?" Thorin asked. Thrain frowned.

"The mines? The mines are no place for a lovely young lady such as our Sweet Garnet is, are they Thorin?" The child shook his head slowly, "No…perhaps…the market?" Thorin brightened again, as much as he loved to see the mines with his father, chest puffed out and walking with his strongest gait so as to look as Kingly as possible, he also loved the markets.

Thrain hoisted Karla further up onto his hip and they began to make their way to the market. Thorin took his father's free hand and they went down to Dale to the market. People at the stalls called out to them as they passed. They paused at the toy stall as Thorin loved looking at all the wooden toys and trying to find out he didn't already have. A voice startled the trio.

"A flower for the Princess?" Thrain turned to find a young man, no older than 23, holding out a white Peony to Karla.

"Father?" She said quietly, a pale blush growing on her cheeks.

"Go on Karla." Karla allowed the young man to hook the flower behind her ear.

"A beautiful flower for a beautiful girl." He said with a small bow; she giggled and hid her head in her father's shoulders. Thrain prompted his daughter quietly.

"Thank-you." She said quietly to the young man. He smiled then continued on is way. Thorin looked up at his sister and frowned. Thrain put Karla down and told Thorin to look after her as he made his way over to another stall for a moment. Thorin held his sister's hand as he stood up on his toes to see the toys again. He pointed to one and the owner held it up, he nodded and then handed the man the 3 gold pieces it was worth. He put it in his pocket as his father returned.

"Found one?" He said, Thorin nodded happily and they began to make their way back to the mountain, Thrain handed each of them a pastry that he'd bought for them, always spoilt by their father. They ate them quietly and they shared a smile.

What happened then no one expected.

Karla stopped and neither noticed she had disappeared. Karla had seen a stall that her mother often went to, one covered with layers and lengths of different fabrics. When she turned to tell her father this, she found he'd gone and Thorin too was nowhere in sight. She dropped the reminder of her pastry and looked around her quickly trying to find her family, but her height put her at a disadvantage.

"Princess? Are you lost?" She looked up at the voice, relieved to find another young dwarf standing in front of her. She knew him, he was one of Thorin's friends, a bit younger than Thorin but older than Karla herself. She nodded, and told him she'd been with her father and brother. He held out his hand and they began to walk the way she had been before. When they reached the edge of the market he smiled and she could see her way now but her father and brother were still out of sight. Karla decided to wait there; maybe they'd passed them in the crowd. Karla thanked the dwarf, who said his name was Dwalin, son of Fundin, and she told him that she knew him from the training he'd done with Thorin.

"Karla! There you are!" Arms wrapped around her shoulders and a hand rested down on Dwalin's shoulder.

"Thank-you, Lad. We thought we'd lost her for a while there." Dwalin gave the Prince a rare smile. Thrain said he'd tell Fundin about Dwalin's help and handed him a gold piece. Dwalin nodded at Thrain gave Thorin a smile and bade them all farewell before disappearing back into the crowd. Thorin finally let go on Karla and Thrain picked her up again.

"What happened, Karla?"

"I saw mama's stall and stopped to show you but you had gone!" The child said, Thrain pulled her tighter into his shoulder and hugged her tightly.

"Oh my girl. My Sweet Garnet, I'll never leave you. All right? I will always be there." Thrain held Karla close and once he was sure she was all right and Thorin had calmed down also, they made their way back into Erebor.

* * *

Thorin sat in his room that night looking down at the toy he'd bought. He didn't really want it, it was a girl's toy but the stall tender either thought the child hadn't thought too much of it or had assumed it was for his sister. Thorin smiled yes, that's it! He'd give it to Karla! She'd love it! Getting off his bed he had almost made it to the door when it opened and in stumbled Karla, she was almost too short to reach the handle but she had managed with much difficulty and now she ran towards her big brother hugging him with all her worth.

"Garnet?" He never called her 'sweet' "what is wrong?" She buried her face in Thorin's shoulder, the boy went back to his bed and they climbed onto it together. Thorin pulled her into a hug and held her while she sniffled

"I had a bad dream." Karla went to bed three hours before Thorin, he had no idea she'd already been asleep. He pulled her closer still and kissed her forehead.

"It's only a dream, Karla. Here, I got you this." He held out the toy and Karla turned it over in her hands looking at it.

"But it's your toy." She said, he shook his head.

"I bought it for you." He said, not lying – not really. He'd bought it and he didn't want it. So it was going to be hers anyway. He had no reason to keep it other than to give it to her. She would never have as big of a collection as he did, because girls didn't play with toys as boys did. It wasn't done.

* * *

When Thrain went to wake his son the next morning – it was time for Thorin's training – the scene before him in Thorin's room, made him think that maybe Thorin's training could wait a little while longer. Thorin lay fast asleep in bed with his sister curled up next to him and Thorin's arms were around her protectively. It was if he wanted her to be safe from the troubles of the world. She was her father's gemstone, but she was also her brother's one and only. His greatest treasure and Thorin would do anything to protect her.


End file.
